Container construction



July 16, 1968 J. w. PFROMMER 3,392,868

CONTAINER CONSTRUCTION Filed May 24, 1967 United States Patent 3,392,868 CONTAINER CONSTRUCTION John W. Pfrommer, Cheshire, Conn., assignor to The International Silver Company, Meriden, C0nn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed May 24, 1967, Ser. No. 640,945 Claims. (Cl. 220-) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention is embodied in a cosmetic container having an elongated hollow generally prismatic body defined by spaced end members that are connected by an integral side-wall portion which is contiguous to the end members over substantially one half the periphery of the body. Cosmetic or the like substance is carried in one or more trays received within the hollow of the body and accessible via the open sides thereof, the same being piv otally mounted to the body and including a peripherally continuous side with a wall portion which is externally exposed and conforms generally to adjacent parts of the body when the tray is in closed position. Detent action detachably retains the tray or trays in closed position, use being made of resilient yieldability of relatively thin walls at the detent-engaging region and of relatively rugged non-yielding walls at the region of pivot support.

My invention relates to a container construction particularly adapted to compact storage and selective dispensing of small quantities of a plurality of different substances, such as cosmetic substances of different colors and shades.

Modern facial make-up requirements are such that several colors or hues of cosmetic substances, e.g., rouges, eye-shadow, etc., must be available for selective use in order to render overall balance in the make-up job. In other words, it is not enough that the user merely carry one rouge or powder in her handbag; several different shades and colors are needed. Of course, these may be available in separate compacts and dispensers, but this means bulk, which becomes intolerable when the handbag is small.

Accordingly, it is an object to provide an improved container adaptable for cosmetic substances, and providing ready selective availability of a plurality of different substances.

A specific object is to meet the foregoing object with a structure of utmost compactness and parts simplicity, lending itself to a maximum employment of plastic injection-molded fabrication, while achieving ruggedness and security against accidental opening and loss of contents.

Other objects and various further features of novelty and invention will be pointed out or will occur to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawing. In said drawing, which shows, for illustrative purposes only, a preferred form of the invention:

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of the container, in closed condition;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view in the plane 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view in the plane 33 of FIG. 1, with the upper dispensing tray shown in opened position;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view, in partial section just beneath the plane 33 of FIG. 1, to reveal cooperating detent parts formations; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged View in side elevation of one of the trays in the container of FIG. 1.

Briefly stated, the invention contemplates a cosmetic container having an elongated hollow generally prismatic body defined by spaced end members that are connected by an integral side-wall portion which is contiguous to the end members over substantially one half the periphery of the body. Cosmetic or the like substance is carried in one or more trays received within the hollow of the body and accessible via the open sides thereof, the same being pivotally mounted to the body and including a peripherally continuous side with a wall portion which is externally exposed and conforms generally to adjacent parts of the body when the tray is in closed position. Detent action detachably retains the tray or trays in closed position, use being made of resilient yieldability of relatively thin walls at the detent-engaging region and of relatively rugged non-yielding walls at the region of pivot support.

Referring to the drawings, the invention is shown in application to a cosmetic container comprising a onepiece body 10 of elongated generally prismatic shape which happens to be circular or cylindrical. Body 10 extends between two spaced circular end members or panels 11-12 which are integrally connected by a side-wall portion 13 which is of limited peripheral extent and conforms with the contiguous contour of end members 11- 12. The peripheral extent of side-wall portion 13 is substantially one half the periphery of the body 10, being shown of arcuate extent just short of about the body axis. Body 10 is preferably injection-molded of a suitable high-impact plastic such as polystyrene.

One or more like plural trays 14-15-16 in axial endto-end adjacency are removably received within the hollow of body 10, being selectively accessible via the open sides thereof, namely via the open region extending around the body between limits of side-wall portion 13. Each tray, such as the tray 14, includes a bottom 17 and a peripherally continuous upstanding side wall defining a circular cup-shaped cavity adapted to receive cosmetic substance; for example, the pan 18 is shown filled with rouge or the like 19, in the cavity for the tray 16 (FIG. 2). A small aperture 20 in the tray bottom facilitates pin or the like insertion, as when removing a pan 18.

The peripherally continuous tray wall is best shown for tray 14 in FIG. 2. The wall comprises a first part 21 which is externally exposed and conforms generally to adjacent parts of the body when the tray is in closed position; contiguous to this is a second part 22 which is relatively thin and is concealed when the tray is in closed position. The circular cavity of the tray is eccentric to the body axis 23, being shown at 24 to be offset from the body axis in the direction away from the elongated pivot pin 25, which provides common pivotal support for all trays and which is mounted in the upper and lower body panels or end members 11-12.

For maximum tray-cavity capacity, the thickness of tray-wall part 22 preferably uniformly follows that of the eccentric cavity, and in closed position (as shown in FIG. 3 for the tray 15) this wall contour closely matches and radially clears the correspondingly eccentric inner surface 13' of the body side Wall 13. Side wall 13 may thus be characterized by progressive build-up of thickness, from a relatively thin wall section at or near a first limit 26, to a relatively thick wall section at or near the opposite limit 27; the thin limit 26 is of such proportions as to be stifily compliantly yieldable (for the selected body material) and is remote from the pivot axis, whereas the relatively thick body section 27 is near the axis of pivotal support. By the same token, that part 21 of the tray wall which is exposed when in closed position is characterized by thickness build-up, from a relatively thin section at or near a first limit 28 remote from the pivot axis; wall thickness increases to a relatively thick section 29 at or near the opposite limit, which is in the region of pivot support. The pivot pin 25 is thus received in the 3 strongest tray wall section 29, and pin-mounting in the body end members 11-12 is adjacent the most strongly supported uniting with side-wall portion 13, at 27.

Preferably, the body side wall and tray walls are formed with abutments for positive location of closed trays at substantially diametrically opposed locations, thus relieving the pivot pin 25 and its mounting from abusive action should the parts be subjected to mechanical shock when in closed position. This relation is shown in FIG. 3, wherein first tray and body abutment surfaces are established at 3031 remote from the pivot axis, and wherein second tray and body abutment surfaces are established at 3233 near the pivot axis. To detachably hold the closed position, independently for each tray,

detent formations 3435 on relatively thin-walled (cornpliantly yieldable) portions of the tray wall and body side Wall 13, respectively, are snap-engageable immediately prior to achieving the abutment-backed closed position (see FIG. 4 for the case of tray 14, and FIG. 3 for the case of tray In use, a selected tray, such as tray 14, is removed from detent-retained closed position by finger actuation of tray 14 near the detent region (i.e., remote from the pivot region); in the form shown, this is facilitated by local fraction formations or finger-nail grooves 36 on the outer exposed surface of the tray wall. The tray then is shifted out of detent engagement and swung, about pin 25, as suggested by arrow 37 (FIG. 3), to a limiting abutment of the tray wall at body limit 27. In this position, the cavity of the open tray is fully exposed and supported for use, and there is sufficient room between the full-open and full-closed positions to permit the intermediate positioning of a second tray for concurrent use (e.g., tray 16, as suggested by phantom outline 16' in FIG. 3).

' It will be seen that I have described an exceedingly simple, yet rugged, convenient and compact structure providing selectable availability of a plurality of cosmetic substances as desired. To a maximum extent the parts are of molded plastic; in fact only two basic molds are needed, however many trays are embodied in any given designnamely, the tray mold, and the body mold suited to the desired number of trays. The pivot 25 may also be of plastic but I prefer a metal rod. In closed position, the container presents a smooth appearance of virtually continuous non-snagging nature, yet its contents are readily accessible.

Although the invention has been described in detail for the form shown, it will be understood that modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

1. In a container of the character indicated, an elongated generally prismatic body including fixed spaced end panels connected by a side-wall portion, said sidewall portion being contiguous to said end panels over substantially one half the periphery of said body, said body being otherwise hollow and open over substantially the other half of the sides of said body, a tray received within the hollow of said body and accessible via the open sides thereof, said tray being pivotally mounted to said body and including a peripherally continuous side wall with a wall portion which is externally exposed and conforms generally to adjacent parts of said body when said tray is in closed position, said tray having a bottom and said wall extending peripherally continuously around the tray bottom to define a cup-shaped cavity, the body-wall thickness being relatively great near one peripheral limit of said side-wall portion and relatively thin near the other peripheral limit of said side-wall portion, and an elongated pivot pin mounted in and extending between said end panels and providing pivotal support of said tray through the tray wall and near the relatively thick limit of said body side-wall portion.

2. The container of claim 1, in which said sidewall portion is compliantly yieldable near said relatively thin limit, and cooperating detent means near the relatively thin limit of said body side-wall portion and on the periphery of the tray wall to retain the tray-closed position.

3. The container of claim l, in which said tray wall in the region generally opposite the pivot region is compliantaly yieldable, and cooperating detent means coacting between said yieldable region and a part of said sidewall portion. 1 I

4. The container of claim 1, inwhich said end panels are generally circular, in which the outer surface of said body side-wall portion is curved in general conformance with contiguous portions of said end panels, and in which the external surface of the tray wall similarly conforms with contiguous portions of said end panels when in closed position, and cooperating detent means on said body and tray at a location substantially opposite the pivot location, whereby detent action occurs when relative movement of adjacent detent parts of said tray and body is substantially tangential.

5. The container of claim 1, in which said end panels are generally circular, in which the outer surface of said body side-wall portion is curved in general conformance with contiguous portions of said end panels, and in which the external surface of the tray wall similarly conforms generally with contiguous portions of said end panels when in closed position, the tray cavity being substantially circular and eccentric with respect to that part of the external tray wall surface which is exposed when the tray is closed, the eccentricity being an offset in the direction away from said pivot axis, the pivot support of the tray wall being at a relatively thick portion thereof.

6. The container of claim 1, in which that portion of the tray wall which is externally exposed with the tray closed is provided with finger-engageable friction means remote from the region of pivot support.

7. The container of claim 1, in which a second tray is received within the hollow of said body and is accessible via the open sides thereof, said second tray being pivotally mounted on said pin in axial adjacency to said first-defined tray.

8. In a container of the character indicated, an elongated generally prismatic body of plastic material including spaced generally circular end members integrally connected by a generally cylindrically arcuate side-wall portion, said side-wall portion being contiguous to said end members over almost one half of the periphery of said body, said portion and members defining a cavity open over substantially the remainder of the sides of said body, two like generally circular trays received within the hollow of said body and accessible via the open sides thereof, said trays being pivotally mounted to said body in axial adjacency on a common pivot axis, each of said trays including a peripherally continuous side wall with a wall portion which is externally exposed and conforms generally to adjacent parts of said body when in closed position, each tray having a bottom and its side wall extending around the bottom to define a cup-shaped cavity, the body-wall thickness being relatively great near one peripheral limit of said side-wall portion and relatively thin near the other peripheral limit of said sidewall portion, an elongated pivot pin mounted in and extending between said end members and the walls of said trays at a location substantially diametrically opposed to that of said relatively thin limitof said sidewall portion, ,each tray having a cavity that is substantially circularand eccentric with respect to that part of the external tray-Wall surface which is exposed when the tray is closed, the eccentricity being an offset. in the direction away from the pivot axis, whereby the pivot support of both trays is at a relatively thick portion of the walls thereof, and detent means. on each of said trays in independent detent-coacting relationship with 5 said side-wall portion near the relatively thin limit thereof.

9. The container of claim 8, in which cooperating direct-abutting surfaces on said side-wall portion and on each of said trays are engaged when said trays are in closed position, said surfaces and engagement being located generally diametrically opposite the location of the pivot axis.

10. The container of claim 9, in which further cooperating direct-abutting surfaces on said side-wall portion and on each of said trays are engaged when said trays are in closed position, said further surfaces and engagement being located in proximity to the location of the pivot axis.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,396,932 3/1946 Slaton.

2,582,421 1/ 1952 Essman 312201 2,775,498 12/ 1956 Gettel 312-201 3,161,315 12/1964 Braun 2204 10 THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

G. E. LOWRANCE, Assistant Examiner. 

